Automatic labelling apparatus

ABSTRACT

An automatic labelling apparatus for labelling containers passing on a conveyor has a sensing arm, connected to a switch, the arm contacting the containers passing on the conveyor; the switch is connected to an energized solenoid which forces up a shaft against a spring. The upper end of the shaft carries a helical gear which in turn meshes with another helical gear attached to the lower end of the spindle on the discharge roller, a finger member being mounted on the spindle. In this position the finger member is withdrawn from the discharge opening of the magazine. When a container hits the sensing arm, the solenoid is de-energized with the result that the shaft is pushed downward by the spring and the interaction of the helical gears rotates the finger member into the position where it enters the discharge opening and extracts a label from the magazine.

United States Patent Heinricy [541 AUTOMATIC LABELLING APPARATUS Gustav Heinricy, West Hill, Ontario, Canada [73] Assignee: Canadian Stackpole Limited [22] Filed: Dec. 1, 1969 [21] Appl. No.: 881,006

[72] Inventor:

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[is] 3,654,024 [4 1 Apr. 4, 1972 Primary Examiner-Benjamin A. Borchelt Assistant Examiner-James M. Hanley Attorney--Douglas S. Johnson 1 1 ABSTRACT An automatic labelling apparatus for labelling containers passing on a conveyor has a sensing arm, connected to a switch, the arm contacting the containers passing on the conveyor; the switch is connected to an energized solenoid which forces up a shaft against a spring. The upper end of the shaft carries a helical gear which in turn meshes with another helical gear attached to the lower end of the spindle on the discharge roller, a finger member being mounted on the spindle. In this position the finger member is withdrawn from the discharge opening of the magazine. When a container hits the sensing arm, the solenoid is de-energized with the result that the shaft is pushed downward by the spring and the interaction of the helical gears rotates the finger member into the position where it enters the discharge opening and extracts a label from the magazine.

4 Claims, 12 Drawing Figures Patented April 4, 1972 3,654,024

5 Sheets-Shoat l I {h m .INVEN'IUR. GUSTAV HEINRICY Attorney Patented April 4, 1972 3,654,024

5 Shoots-Shoot 2 INVISNIOR. GUSTAV HEINRICY Y w v Attorney Patented April 4, 1972 3,654,024

5 Shoots-Shoot ."5

INVEN'IOR. GUSTAV HE! N RICY BYW" Attorney Patented April 4, 1972 3,654,024

5 Sheets-Shut 4 21'5" A VA INVZSNI'OR.

GUSTAV HEINRICY BYK907L4JJWA Attorney Patented April 4, 1972 s shun-shut s INVEN'IOR. GUSTAV HEINRICY Attorney AUTOMATIC LABELLING APPARATUS FIELD OF THE INVENTION PRIOR ART I U.S. Pat. application Ser. No. 770,923 now U.S. Pat. No.

3,572,691 filed on Oct. 28th, 1968 describes a mechanism for withdrawing individual sheets of paper from a stack. The mechanism features a discharge roller positioned adjacent the discharge opening for a stack of labels held in a magazine, the outermost labels being held at its opposed side edges only in the magazine. The roller which is rotatable has an outwardly extending resilient finger which contacts the outermost label and due to friction, removes the label from the leading restrained side edge after which it is carried around to be gripped between the finger roller and a counter roller bearing against the finger roller. The result is that the label is pulled free of the trailing restraining side edge after which it is fed along a guide to pass between a squeezing roller and a glue-applying roller and then to a rotary labelling device. The discharge roller is capable of rotating at high speed and hence the mechanism is capable of supplying labels at a high rate.

A problem is to ensure that the glue roller only receives a label if a container is passing on the conveyor which will receive the label. This involves ensuring that the resilient finger does not make contact with the outermost label in order to remove it from the stack unless there is a container on the conveyor which will receive the label after it has been glued.

Accordingly it is an object of the invention to provide means which willensure that a label will only be extracted from the stack in the magazine if there is a container on the conveyor which will receive the extracted label after it has been glued.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention consists in providing sensing means which detects the containers passing on the conveyor; the finger which is used to withdraw the label from the magazine is made pivotable between a position where it enters the discharge opening in the magazine to contact a label and a position away from the discharge opening after the label has been withdrawn. The pivotable movement of the finger in order to withdraw thelabel is dependent on the sensing means detecting a container on the conveyor. A variety of sensing means can be used, but a preferred embodiment utilises a sensing arm connected to a switch, which contacts the containers passing on the conveyor; the switch is connected to an energized solenoid which forces up a shaft against a spring. The upper end of the shaft carries a helical gear which in turn meshes with another helical gear attached to the lower end of the spindle on the discharge roller, the finger member being mounted on the spindle. In this position the finger member is withdrawn from the discharge opening of the magazine. When a container hits the sensing arm, the switch is opened and the solenoid is de-energized with the result that the shaft is pushed downward by the spring and the interaction of the helical gears rotates the finger member into the position where it enters the discharge opening and extracts a label from the magazine.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will now be described in relation to the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the labelling apparatus constructed according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the magazine, discharge roller, counter roller and, glue pot shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the magazine, discharge roller, counter roller, glue pot and the belt adjacent the conveyor carrying the containers;

FIG. 4 is a section taken on the Lines 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIGS. 5, 6, 7 and 8 illustrate the process of extraction of the label.

FIG. 9 illustrates the label being initially glued to a passing container;

FIG. 10 is a top view illustrating the delivery and at- 0 tachment of the label on to a passing container;

FIG. 11 is a section taken through the positional control for the finger member.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The labelling apparatus of the invention as illustrated generally in FIG. 1 includes a chain belt conveyor generally denoted by the number 20 and an adjacent table 22 carried on suitable supports 24. The conveyor 20 has conventional moving platform elements which form a generally flat table-like surface 26, see FIG. 10, for transporting containers 28 to be labelled.

For the purposes of description the conveyor 20 may be divided into an infeed portion leading up to the first application of a label 30, see FIG. 9, to an individual container 28, and an outfeed portion where the individual label is adhered to the individual container, see FIG. 1

The infeed portion of the conveyor 20 has a helical member 32 positioned along that side of the table-like surface 26 opposed to the table structure 22; the pitch of the helical member 32 is such as to encompass the width of an individual container 28. Opposed to the helical member 32 and adjacent the table 22 is a vertically disposed movable plate 34 carried on a rod 36 slidable engaged in the slot of an abutment 38 fixed to the table 22. The position of the rod 36 is adjusted so as to provide sufficient pressure by the movable plate 34 against the container 28 held in, the helical member 32 to ensure the progression of the containers 28 along the infeed portion of the conveyor 20. The requisite position of the rod 36 in the abutment 38 is maintained by a knurled headed screw 40.

One end of a sensing arm 42 made of spring steel extends under the plate 34 into the line of travel of the containers 28. The other end of the sensing arm 42 is connected to a switch 44 mounted on the outside of the plate 34. When a container hits the free end of the sensing arm 42 the switch 44 opens.

The outfeed portion of the conveyor 20 has a vertically disposed drive belt 46 carried by rollers 48 and 50; The belt where it is adjacent to the table-like surface 26 of the conveyor is supported by a multiplicity of back-up rollers 52 journalled along with the rollers 48 and 50 in a bearing plate 54. The roller 48 and the back-up rollers 52 are slightly cambered or convex.

Opposed to the belt 46 is a vertically disposed stationary pad 56 covered with friction material. The belt 46 where supported by the back-up rollers 52 bears against one side of the containers 28 while the pad 56 bears against the other side of the containers 28. The combined effect of the moving belt and the stationary pad 56 is to rotate the containers 28 during their travel on the outfeed portion of the conveyor 28. The somewhat convex configuration of the back-up rollers 52 reduces the tendency of the containers 28 to tilt during their rotation.

The table structure 22 has a magazine generally denoted by the numeral 58, the essentials of which, as described in my above-mentioned U.S. copending application, are a displaceabIe bottom 60 biased against a stack 62 of labels 30, the foremost of which bear against side member 64 and 66 which limit the width of the discharge opening of the magazine 58. Outward of the side member 64 and spaced from the discharge opening but parallel thereto are spaced apart pins 68, only one of which is shown, see FIG. 3, positioned in the same vertical plane. Secured to side member 66 and extending outwardly therefrom is a guide 70 shapedl typically as shown.

The containment of the stack 62 by the side member 64 is slightly less than that effected by the side member 66 in order to provide for a slight separating effect on the forwardmost labels by air jets 69.

The table structure 22 also has a vertically disposed discharge roller generally denoted by the numeral 72 positioned adjacent the discharge opening of the magazine 58. A recess 74, see FIG. 2, is formed in the periphery of the body 75 of the discharge roller 72, the body 75 being integral with flange ends 76 and 78. An arm or spindle 80 is located in the recess 74, the spindle being journalled in the flanged ends 75 and 78, see FIGS. 2 and 11. A pair offlanged collars 82 and 84 are secured to the spindle 90. The flanges of the collars 82 and 84 provide the requisite backing for a bar 86 which clamps to the flanges of collars 82 and 84 a finger or pick up arm 88 made of elastomeric material such as rubber.

The spindle 80 extends through the top flange 76 of the discharge roller 72. A bifurcated member 90 secured to the extending portion of the spindle 90 by a screw 92, see FIG. 3, the bifurcated member having an extension 94. A plate 96 is also secured to the top of the end flange 76 and a threaded screw 98 with locating nut 100 passes through the plate 96, the free end of the screw 98 being in the line of travel of the extension 94 of the bifurcated member 90 when it is rotated by the spindle 90 as described hereunder.

As explained in my above-mentioned United States copending application, the member 88 projecting outward of the recess 72 of the discharge roller 72 provides the means to extract the outermost label 30 from the stack 62, the operation being illustrated in FIGS. 4, 5, 6 and 7 of the attached drawings. In FIG. 8 the release of the label 30 has proceeded to the point where it is caught between the rotating discharge roller 72 and a counter roller 102, a portion only of which is covered by a frictional cover 104 made of rubber or other suitable material which contacts the label 30. The cover 104 does not extend around the whole periphery of the counter roller 102 but is terminated short thereof to provide a recess 106 which permits clearance-for reception of the label 30 and the finger 88 before the label 30 is caught between the cover 104 and the body 75 of the discharge roller 72.

The member 88 is provided with slots 108 into which ride the ends of the pins 68; the latter provide a guide for the control of the movement of the label 30 when it is first contacted by the member 88.

After the label 30 is gripped between the body 75 of the discharge roller 72 and the cover counter roller 102 it is then propelled along the surface of vertically disposed guide plates 110 adjustably supported on a rod 112 carried by the table 22.

The label 30 is then passed along the fins 113 of the glue roller 114 in order to pick up adhesive after which the label passes along the surface of a vertically disposed guide 116 adjustably secured to an arm 110. The free end of the guide member 116 has first spaced apart portions 120 of the same configuration each of which extend into an individual space between the fins 113 of glue roller 114. The guide 116 has second spaced apart portions 124 each of the same configuration and extending towards the containers 28 in their direction of travel. Each portion 124 and its individual attached portion 120 form a concave surface along which the label 30 travels with the leading edge of the latter projected towards and moving in the direction of travel of the containers 28. On contact with a container 28 this leading edge of an individual label 30 adheres to the container 28 and the latter is then picked up between the belt 46 and the pad 56. As a result the container 28 is rotated counter-clockwise see FIG. 11, and the label 30 is then rolled on to the container simply through this rotating action.

The counter roller is driven through a shaft 126 which extends downward through the table 22 to terminate at its lower end in a drive sprocket 128. The shaft 126 has a surrounding spacer 130 outward of which is an eccentric housing 132, the shaft 126 being carried on bearings 134 which contact the housing'l32 and the spacer 130. Manual rotation of the eccentric housing 132 permits adjustment of the nip of an extracted label 30 between the frictional cover 104 of counter roller 102 and the periphery 75 of the discharge roller 72; a clamp 136 is provided which maintains the housing 132 in the desired position.

The discharge roller 72 rotates with the counter roller 102 in a constant relationship so that the extracted label 30 always enters the recess 106 in the counter roller 102 before the frictional cover 104 contacts the periphery 75 of the discharge roller 72. The rotation of the discharge roller is accomplished by providing a spur gear 138 on the counter roller shaft 126 above the drive sprocket 128, which meshes with another spur gear 140 on a tubular drive shaft 142, which extends upwardly through the table 22, and secured to the discharge roller 72 by means of dowels 144. The drive shaft 142 is carried on bearings 144 supported by a bearing block 146.

FIG. 11 also shows the mechanism whereby the finger member 88 only extracts a label 30 if there is a container 28 on the conveyor 20, which will accept the label 30. The tubular drive shaft 142 for the discharge roller 72 is recessed adjacent its junction with the discharge roller to provide a cavity 148 in which are located a pair of meshing helical gears 150 and 152, the teeth of which are disposed to each other as shown in FIG. 12. The helical gear 150 is attached to the lower end of the spindle carrying the finger member 88 while the other helical gear 152 is secured to the upper end of a push shaft which extends downwards through the tubular drive shaft 142 for the discharge roller 72.

The lower end of the push shaft 154 extends beyond the lower end of the tubular shaft and enters into a flanged sleeve 156. Surrounding the sleeve 156 and bearing against the flange 158 thereof is a spring 160, the upper end of which bears against the lower end of the tubular drive shaft 142. The tension on the spring is adjustable by means ofa nut 162 which bears against the underside of the flange 158 of the sleeve 156. An energized solenoid 164 connected to the switch 44, contacts the lower end of the push shaft 154. Intermediate of its ends the push shaft 154 has a slot 166 with a key 168.

The energized solenoid 164 urges the push shaft 154 upwards against the spring 160 with the result that the helical gear 152 on the push shaft 154 rotates the helical gear and the spindle 80 pivots in a direction opposed to the direction of rotation of the discharge roller 72. Because the free edge of the member trails behind the spindle 80 in relation to the direction of rotation of the discharge roller 72, the member 88 is thus withdrawn towards the recess 74 of the discharge roller 72 and hence away from the discharge opening of the magazine 58.

However, when the sensing arm 42 contacts a container 28 the switch is opened and the solenoid is de-energized with the result that the spring urges the push shaft downwards. The movement of the helical gears rotates the spindle in the opposite direction, i.e., same as that of the discharge roller and the free end member emerges from the recess in the discharge roller and effects contact with the outermost label. The movement outwards of the free edge of the finger member is controlled by the adjustable stop on top of the discharge roller, the stop being in the line of travel of the extension of the bifurcated member. A further control is exercised by the slot and key in the push shaft, which controls the extent of movement of the push shaft.

I claim:

1. In an automatic labelling apparatus, conveyor means for transporting containers to be labelled, means for sensing the passage of each of said containers on said conveyor, a magazine having a discharge opening with a pair of opposed side edges, a stack of labels in said magazine each having a width greater than the distance apart between said pair of opposed side edges of said discharge opening, a movable finger adjacent to said discharge opening and means responsive to said sensing means for moving said movable finger into said discharge opening to contact one of said stack of labels for withdrawal of the same from said magazine; said movable finger being carried on a rotatable driven discharge roller ex tending substantially parallel to said pair of side edges of said discharge opening.

2. An automatic labelling apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said discharge roller has a pivotable spindle, said finger being secured to said spindle, a first helical gear secured to said spindle, a shaft substantially parallel to said spindle, a second helical gear on said shaft, said second helical gear meshing with said first helical gear and opposed spring and solenoid means acting on said shaft through said helical gears to rotate said spindle between the position where the finger contacts a label in said discharge opening and a position away from said discharge opening after said label has been withdrawn.

3. An automatic labelling apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said sensing means comprises an arm, a portion of which extends into the direction of the passage of each of said containers on said conveyor, and a switch connected to said arm, said solenoid being connected to said switch.

4. Automatic labelling apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said switch is closed and the movement of said arm opens said switch to de-energize said solenoid. 

1. In an automatic labelling apparatus, conveyor means for transporting containers to be labelled, means for sensing the passage of each of said containers on said conveyor, a magazine having a discharge opening with a pair of opposed side edges, a stack of labels in said magazine each having a width greater than the distance apart between said pair of opposed side edges of said discharge opening, a movable finger adjacent to said discharge opening and means responsive to said sensing means for moving said movable finger into said discharge opening to contact one of said stack of labels for withdrawal of the same from said magazine; said movable finger being carried on a rotatable driven discharge roller extending substantially parallel to said pair of side edges of said discharge opening.
 2. An automatic labelling apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said discharge roller has a pivotable spindle, said finger being secured to said spindle, a first helical gear secured to said spindle, a shaft substantially parallel to said spindle, a second helical gear on said shaft, said second helical gear meshing with said first helical gear and opposed spring and solenoid means acting on said shaft through said helical gears to rotate said spindle between the position where the finger contacts a label in said discharge opening and a position away from said discharge opening after said label has been withdrawn.
 3. An automatic labelling apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said sensing means comprises an arm, a portion of which extends into the direction of the passage of each of said containers on said conveyor, and a switch connected to said arm, said solenoid being connected to said switch.
 4. Automatic labelling apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said switch is closed and the movement of said arm opens said switch to de-energize said solenoid. 